Watch 101: Rolex vs. Omega – Which is the Better First Luxury Watch?

Feb 28, 2018

Article By: Logan Hannen

What is up, watchfam?! Today we’re breaking down whether Rolex or Omega is the better option for your first luxury watch!

DISCLAIMER: Rolexes are obviously more expensive upon entry than Omegas. That’s just some basic math for y’all. We are fully aware of this, but I wanted to address it up front because, ultimately, it doesn’t have too much impact on the outcome of this discussion, as we’re focusing on X. Cool? Cool.

The first thing to consider with this question actually has nothing to do with the purchase itself, but rather with the decision to purchase one or the other period. What you need to do, as far as we’re concerned, is get super educated about the brands. If you’re stuck between a Seamaster Professional and a Submariner it could help you to know not just what the watches do, but what kind of value they offer, and why that value is relevant to the purchase.

If it were up to us, your first watch would probably be an Omega. Bit of a blanket statement there, right? Hear me out: if you put aside the obvious price gap and just look at the pieces as they stand, can you justify the price difference between a $12,000-$15,000 Rolex Daytona and a $2500 – $8000 (depending on the movement, size, etc) Omega Speedmaster? Because I sure can’t. To me, the value differential is not proportional to the price differential, and the same goes for the divers.

I think if you take a look at the 39.5mm Seamaster Planet Ocean on a steel bracelet at around $6,500, and then compare it to the 40mm Rolex Submariner (the modern, Super Case variant) at between $8,500 and $10,000, things get a bit closer, but still not quite. In reality, a better comparison would be the Rolex Sea-Dweller (given the depth rating of the Planet Ocean) at over $10,000 pre-owned, it just seems no contest to me which ones offers more bang per buck.

That all being said, consider for a second that none of what I just said matters. The reason is simple – if you’re a watch geek, you’re going to feel a strong emotional attachment to your first luxury watch. So wouldn’t it make sense to make that watch the one, proverbially speaking? If your grandfather, or your uncle, or your dad wore an Omega, and you want to pay tribute to them in some way, then Omega is the way to go. The same goes for Rolex, and nothing I can say in this article is going to make that any less true. So follow your gut and, if your gut says think value, then go with the Omega unless you find a killer deal on the Rolex. Whichever option you choose, just remember to make sure you keep it classy, watchfam.